Proposed bioethanol plant would need full Irish sugar beet land to grow grain

ALL the land used to grow sugar beet could be needed to produce grain for a proposed bioethanol plant at Belview Port, in south Co Kilkenny, on the River Suir.

The Ethanol Ireland company has proposed to use 360,000 tonnes of wheat, and some barley to produce 100,000 tonnes per year of bioethanol, requiring about 40,000 hectares of crops.

The plant would replace 4% of petrol imports, and employ 36 people directly, long-term, and up to 1,000 indirectly. But promoters say it could not operate without Irish legislation to impose a higher tariff on imported ethanol, and quality standards to qualify for an Irish bio-fuels certificate.

* A Thurles-based company has announced plans to set up an energy industry at a disused mine, which could revive the sugar beet industry. Ryan Brothers are seeking planning permission to produce electricity by anaerobic digestion using sugar beet at Galmoy mine in Co Kilkenny.